If you’re looking for a green, energy-efficient home, you need to be on guard. That’s because some homes are being marketed as environmentally-friendly and energy-saving when they’re not. The practice is called “greenwashing,” and experts said it’s a growing problem.
With the wave of green living in SWFL, since the opening of Babcock Ranch, many builders are making this claim. Homes in Babcock Ranch are all green certified. But what does that mean?
A truly green home will take into consideration six elements of green building:
- Site
- Water efficiency
- Energy efficiency
- Indoor air quality
- Materials
- Operations and maintenance
If the house doesn’t meet those six criteria, and the seller is still calling the property “green,” chances are it’s just a marketing ploy, also known as “greenwashing.”
“Greenwashing” is a growing problem, and that’s why house hunters need to do their research. Green is more than just energy efficient. It’s about the whole design and building process. Everything from the air conditioning systems and how energy efficient they are, to where the builders purchase material and where it comes from in the country. If it’s local or somewhere out of state, if it’s less of a carbon footprint, if it’s less of an impact on the environment. Builders look at all the different aspects of construction and how they impact the environment.
That’s why you have to be your own advocate. Don’t be afraid to question the sellers and ask them to put in writing what they have and provide you with documents. You can also find out if a home is certified by ‘The National Green Building Standard’ or the ‘Florida Green Building Coalition.’
If you get a home certified, that kind of gives you an insurance policy that says yes, this builder built my home with all these elements in mind and built it to this particular standard. So, that’s kind of like an insurance policy that you weren’t ‘greenwashed,’ you actually had a home built to a green standard.
Are you ready to build a green home in SWFL? We have the perfect land lot for you! Give 9 Core Realty a call today to learn more!
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